thechristmaswreath.pdf

This year, I thought it would be nice to tell you a little bit of the history of the Christmas Wreath.  Just consider its shape; the circle has no beginning and no end and some say this is a symbol of the eternal nature of God’s love, or even the circle of life.

So many Christmas wreaths are made of evergreens which we all know live through the winter months, signifying the strength of live or immortality.

It seems wreaths have been used as decoration for centuries.  It was an ancient tradition to hang a wreath on your door with specific flowers or greens which signified your particular family.  Instead of an address, you had a floral wreath to find your home!
 
The Romans used wreaths as signs of victory.  In other words, if you returned victorious from a battle, you would hang a wreath of victory on your door to declare to everyone that you are a winner!

Today wreaths are a wonderful decorative touch, both year round and at Christmas time. Whether you hang a wreath on the door to welcome visitors or on the wall to complete a room's decor the splash of color on a cold winter's day is sure to add a feeling of warmth.  But I must add that Matt did a photo shoot in his home town of Findlay, Ohio and he found that wreaths can go just about anywhere! 

The Front Door

Yes, it’s the traditional location, but that makes it the perfect place to start.  Plus, in Matt’s photo collection, there are the prettiest doors I’ve ever seen and of course that just makes any wreath look that much better! 

It doesn’t get much more dramatic than this!  And look whose taking all the credit…Santa! 

Now that’s an amazing bow!  I like how it covers up some of the door and really gives the wreath prominence.  I imagine at night with the side trees lit and a spotlight on the wreath, this is a pretty impressive entry!

Front Door Variations

 Double the doors – double the wreaths! And, if I might say, double the pleasure! These two wreaths are interesting in that they have all of their pinecones grouped at the bottom to balance the large crown molding above the windows in the doors.  Lovely. 

Never fear if you have some pretty colored glass that you don’t want to hide for the holidays…just hang your wreath a little lower! 

That concept worked great for this glass and wreath combination as well.

New and Different Places

It’s a little hard to see in the photo, but don’t forget the guest house when you are trimming your place for the season!  Look for the red bow – it’s the giveaway!

How about simply slipping the wreaths over your wall sconces?  They look lovely flanking the front door and then you don’t have to worry about the space between your exterior door and the storm door! 

Here’s someone with friends in high places!  How on earth did they get those wreaths on the windows on the third floor?  Well, however they did it; I hope they continue it because it makes their beautiful home even prettier! 

OK, they win for the highest wreath in town!  At least they had the widow’s walk to help them install it!

This three car garage gets a huge holiday pick me up with the addition of three matching wreaths.  They too are simply slipped over the carriage lights and their trailing bows look wonderful.

A white fence lined with rich green and red wreaths is a different way to display them, and one that I really enjoy! 

Now this may not be the most unusual place to hang a wreath, but it certainly is the cutest!  I found this photo on Backyard Wild Birds website and thought it was so adorable I should share it with you.

So that’s Matt’s photo gallery of Christmas wreaths.  It was inspiring and just a beautiful tribute to one of Christmas’s most popular decorative icons. 

Shari

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